NRAS Chief Executive, Ailsa Bosworth has said: “The impact on patients’ lives of this negative outcome is significant. It is particularly disappointing given that we and the BSR were not asking for all patients in the moderate – severe group to be given access, but only those with the biomarkers which indicate poorer prognosis and outcomes"

They couldn't give a toss about the disabled and people who are I'll, asking as they get their 11per cent pay rise each year which is a total joke when people can't even afford t heat their homes let a lone eat, no wonder people are leaving the UK in there droves

Please note that if you are already on biologics this NICE decision will not take them away.

What NRAS and the BSR were trying to achieve by appealing the final decision on the Multiple Technology Appraisal biologics review, was to try and get NICE to widen the criteria so that more people, particularly those with moderate to severe disease which is defined, in clinical terms, as those with a DAS score of between 3.2 and 5.1. could access a biologic.

Currently you have to have a DAS of over 5.1 to be eligible to get onto biologics. We were not asking them to open the floodgates for everyone with moderate disease because we knew they would never buy that, but only those with a poorer prognosis and we defined 3 specific criteria for that which are detailed in our press release on the website. We all worked so hard to try and get this so it was really disappointing that they turned down the appeal. However, at least now you only have to achieve a DAS score of over 5.1 once, not as it was before, two times one month apart, so a bit of progress in the right direction!